Back with chapter 3 of Pretty Woman. Definitely veering from the original story line with this chapter, but do not fret, it'll all come together :) Enjoy.
He knew he should have grabbed a GPS from Puck before he left, since now he was way past lost.
He had tried using the navigation system in the car multiple times but it proved to be incompetent and extremely unhelpful.
He'd been driving around the city aimlessly for over half an hour, and was eager to get to his hotel before 10:30, which the hour was nearing.
Finn pulled over to the side of the road, along a curb, turned off the engine and held is face in his hands for a moment, trying to regain focus. He wasn't sure how long it had been since he had ever actually driven a car for this long.
"Hey," a soft voice said beside him, and he turned to find a small brunette standing at the passenger door, so he started up the car, once again, and lowered the window for her.
"You lost, babe? You look like you're in the wrong part of town," she said as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Wh-yes, I'm actually looking for the Four Season Hotel. Is it somewhere around here?"
"Nope, that's all they way on the other side of town, hun," she said smugly.
"Great," he retorted sarcastically.
Rachel looked away from him and back at Santana who was eagerly watching on, and gesturing towards Rachel and the car.
"You want directions?" she offered him.
"Yeah, that would be-"
"For twenty bucks," she sneered.
"What? I thought you were offering to help?" he said in shock.
"I am. For twenty bucks."
He thought about her offer. Seeing as he was truly lost, it couldn't hurt to pay for some directions, but could he trust this girl? Her attire suggested otherwise, but for some reason he felt comfortable with it.
"Alright, twenty bucks," he surrendered, reaching to grab his wallet, but Rachel held up her hand, signaling him to stop.
"You know, for forty, I can give you a personal tour of the city," she said suggestively.
"You just said twenty!" he argued.
"Yeah, but I'm offering a personal tour, now. You can take it or leave it, babe."
He looked at her carefully, eyeing her. Her smokey eyes, full lips, and messy but well-done hair with long, sparkly hoop earring hanging from both ears. He was intrigued, but he also knew better than to let a strange prostitute in his car. She looked small, and he was sure she couldn't harm him on her own, though he thought it would be cute to see her try.
He was lost in his thoughts as she continued staring, annoyed. She cleared her throat obviously, and waited for an answer.
"Alright, let's see this city."
They had driven in a comfortable silence for the beginning of the ride, as she occasionally perked up when a famous landmark or building would appear on the side of the road, and explain its significance.
It was silent once again, but not an awkward one. Just, comfortable.
Sitting beside him, he noticed her squirming in her seat, a little restless.
"So, if you're not from New York, then where are you from?" she inquired patiently.
"Well, I actually am from New York, just not the city."
"Long Island?" she guessed.
"Yeah."
"West Hampton?" she guessed, again.
"East, actually," he corrected, surprised by her accuracy. "How did you know?"
"You just seem like that kinda guy," she offered quietly.
He smiled to himself, unsure of whether to receive her comment as a compliment or judgement, but he brushed it off.
"So, since you are giving me a personal tour of this city, how about I hear a little about you?" Finn suggested.
"Like what?" she said teasingly.
"Maybe, your name?"
She chuckled to herself. "Rachel."
"Just Rachel? No last name?" he teased her.
"Just Rachel for tonight," she responded. "How about you, Mr. Big-shot with the 1970 Jaguar?"
"Finn Hudson," he said plainly, then gave her a heart-melting half-smile, something she had learned he was quite famous for, from spending the last fifteen minutes in his car. "How'd you know this was a 1970?"
"My papa was a big car enthusiast back home, and I learned lots about cars," she explained. "Jaguar is my dream car, actually."
"Oh yeah?" he said, intrigued from learning about her past.
"Yeah, but there's no way I could get one, so I settled on a cat. Her name is Jaguar."
"Very creative," he chuckled.
Wanting to avoid talk of her past, she switched the topic. "So, what brings you into this wonderful city?" Rachel asked.
"Business," he answered simply.
"Business? I never would have guessed, what with the suit, and the car!" she teased, earning a chuckle from him in response. "What kind of business?"
"Investing in various corporations, telling them how they should handle their finances, or we just buy the company to help them back on their feet," he responded.
She didn't answer but nodded her head simply and guiding him closer to his destination.
"Mind if I turn on the radio?" she asked sweetly.
"Be my guest, if you can figure out how to turn the damn thing on," he joked, after his frustrating encounter with it earlier.
He watched her as she flipped through stations, and found an old, classic rock station. He was familiar with the song, and grew more interested as he saw her begin humming, out of the corner of his eye.
"Some will win, some will lose,
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on and on and on"
He listened intently as her quiet humming became more of a quiet singing.
"Don't stop believin'
Hold on to that feelin'
Streetlights people"
He was in awe of the voice she was eliciting and began humming along himself, gently tapping along the beat on the steering wheel. He chuckled to himself as he found himself remembering a significant amount of lyrics, but his chuckle caused her to stop singing.
"That was amazing, Rachel," he complimented honestly. "Where did you learn to sing like that?"
"My shower, mostly," she answered. "I did choir for a little while in high school."
"Well, that was some serious singing," he praised.
"Thank you," she said timidly. "You'll want to make a right up here, by that red building," she directed him, changing the topic.
They continued down the road in silence, until she announced the presence Central Park on their left side. She eagerly described the park and the various activities that occur there throughout the year, including the tradition that her and her friends go into the park every year on the Fourth of July to watch the fireworks be set off. She described everything in the city with such passion, and it made him eager to learn more about the city, and about her as well.
Nearing the hotel, he suddenly asked, "So, what is your going wage, at the moment?"
She smiled, amused by his question, and sure that he wasn't the type of guy to do this sort of business.
"A hundred dollars," she said casually.
"For the night?"
"For an hour," she retorted.
He was a little taken back, but he knew these women needed to make money somehow, and he certainly didn't judge her. He was just curious as to how a women with her potential ended up in this position.
She assumed from his silence, that he wasn't interested, and guided him to his final turn and they reared the hotel.
He pulled up along the entrance to the hotel, as a gentleman came up to his window, asking for his name and reservation.
"Finn Hudson."
"Ah, yes, Mr. Hudson," the man said excitedly, "we have your room ready, and are delighted to have you staying with us for the next few nights. May I take you car?"
"Yes, thank you," he said, exiting the car, and handing the man his keys, then proceeding to the passenger seat and opening the door for Rachel.
"Thank you, Finn," she said politely, and paused as she was able to see him in full view for the first time. He wore a simple gray suit, with a black tie that fit his body perfectly. As she glanced up at his face, he was giving her one of his heartfelt crooked smiles.
"Well, I'm glad I could help. Enjoy the city, Finn," she said, as she began to walk away from in, and into the night.
He wished he could give her a reason to stay longer, to talk and just get to know her, but he knew she was probably busy. He walked up the steps to the desk under an awning where he checked into his suite and waited for the keys to be prepared.
"Your keys, Mr. Hudson," the manager said, as he handed Finn the multiple keys to his room.
"Thank you," he responded, checking the man's name tag, which he wore promptly on his suit, next to a decorative broach, "Kurt."
Finn gathered his keys and waited for the rest of his luggage to be delivered to him, when Kurt called for him once again.
"Mr. Hudson!"
He turned and exited back through the revolving door, towards the desk once again, seeing Kurt hang up the phone and be approached by one of the men whom had just taken his car and place something in Kurt's hand.
"This was just found in your car," Kurt told him, holding an unidentifiable object in his hand. "We wanted to check if it was something of importance."
Kurt held up the single, hoop earring, and Finn instantly recognized it. It was Rachel's.
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks lovelies!